1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to light emitter packages, and in particular to light emitting diode (LED) packages having a molded lens.
2. Description of the Related Art
Light emitting diodes (LED or LEDs) are solid state devices that convert electric energy to light, and generally comprise one or more active layers of semiconductor material sandwiched between oppositely doped layers. When a bias is applied across the doped layers, holes and electrons are injected into the active layer where they recombine to generate light. Light is emitted from the active layer and from all surfaces of the LED.
In order to use an LED chip in a circuit or other like arrangements, it is known to enclose an LED chip in a package to provide environmental and/or mechanical protection, color selection, light focusing and the like. An LED package can also include electrical leads, contacts or traces for electrically connecting the LED package to an external circuit. FIG. 1A shows a conventional LED package that generally comprises a single LED chip 12 mounted on a reflective cup 13 by means of a solder bond or conductive epoxy. One or more wire bonds 11 connect the ohmic contacts of the LED chip 12 to leads 15A and/or 15B, which may be attached to or integral with the reflective cup 13. The reflective cup 13 can be filled with an encapsulant material 16 which can contain a wavelength conversion material such as a phosphor. Light emitted by the LED at a first wavelength can be absorbed by the phosphor, which can responsively emit light at a second wavelength. The entire assembly is then encapsulated in a clear protective resin 14, which may be molded in the shape of a lens over the LED chip 12.
FIG. 1B shows another conventional LED package 20 that may be more suited for high power operations that can generate more heat. In the LED package 20, one or more LED chips 22 are mounted onto a carrier such as a printed circuit board (PCB) carrier, substrate or submount 23. A reflector 24 can be included on the submount 23 that surrounds the LED chip(s) 22 and reflects light emitted by the LED chips 22 away from the package 20. Different reflectors can be used such as metal reflectors, omni-directional reflectors (ODRs), and distributed Bragg reflectors (DBRs). The reflector 24 can also provide mechanical protection to the LED chips 22. One or more wirebond connections 11 are made between ohmic contacts on the LED chips 22 and electrical traces 25A, 25B on the submount 23. The mounted LED chips 22 are then covered with an encapsulant 26, which may provide environmental and mechanical protection to the chips while also acting as a lens. The metal reflector 24 is typically attached to the carrier by means of a solder or epoxy bond.
While a package such as the package 20 illustrated in FIG. 1B may have certain advantages for high power operation, there may be a number of potential problems associated with using a separate metal piece as a metal reflector. For example, small metal parts may be difficult to manufacture repeatable with a high degree of precision at a reasonable expense. In addition, since the reflector is typically affixed to a carrier using an adhesive, several manufacturing steps may be required to carefully align and mount the reflector, which may add to the expense and complexity of the manufacturing process for such packages.